A Cobalt Film Electrode for Nitrite Determination in Natural Water

In this study a cobalt film electrodeposited on a copper disk (Ø=3.1 mm) was tested as electrode to measure nitrite ions in raw water. This electrode was able to determine the nitrite ions concentration in nondeaerated synthetic media and in natural water. The electrode reached a detection limit of 0.2 μmol L^?1 and has a linear concentration range of 0.4 to 2 μmol L^?1 NO₂^?. The influence of several ions such as NO₃^?, Cl^?, SO₄^2?, Mg²⁺, HCO₃^? and NH₄⁺ was also tested. The electrode was used to determine the concentration of nitrite ions in a real sample.